Falling Forward
by Darknesse Sidhe
Summary: Elliot couldn't die in peace like a normal person. Nope, he had to die dramatically. Well, this is just a story where Elliot dies.


**I don't own Pandora Hearts.**

**Spoilers for … yeah, I don't really keep track of the chapters but I would say, the Second Coming-of-Age Ceremony Arc that was either the 40's or 50's.**

FALLING FORWARD:

"Humpty Dumpty … I reject you."

Those last three words that came from Elliot Nightray's hoarse throat sounded, ironically, as clear as water. He felt Vincent's mismatched eyes boring into him, trying to figure him out, or so it felt – but as he was looking away from him, into space, he could not see his adoptive brother, and couldn't be sure of his expression.

The pain came sharp and fast, raking up his entire body too quickly to allow him to brace himself. With an alarmed cry – that sounded pathetically weak to his own ears, to his immense distaste – he pitched forward onto the cold stone floor even as his own blood spilling out beneath him warmed it up.

Somewhere, he could hear distant screaming although he and Vince were alone there. The screaming was hazy, and it made him wonder if he was really hearing it or imagining it – but whatever it was, Elliot knew it was screaming. High-pitched and wavering, the scream continued on and on, and was soon joined by other screams.

They were the screams of children, and Elliot's body thrashed once in nausea, before it faded as more pain surged up his limbs like fire – no, like hot embers being pushed against the skin, making him ache and burn even as it simmered down and he drew closer towards the void. Everything was blurry, and black patches and grey dots littered his vision. He could barely see Vincent as the child of misfortune slowly and quietly drew closer to him, his heels clicking against the stone.

The screams abruptly ended and vaguely he guessed that the child contractors of Humpty Dumpty were now either dead or unconscious, and that Humpty Dumpty was long gone by now. Growing still, he managed to salvage a part of him that was still coherent to feel a brief, passing sense of satisfaction upon stopping the Headhunter.

_He_ had been the Headhunter.

And now he was going to die.

An eerily childish tune suddenly floated over to his ears from out of nowhere, sung clearly and quietly happily into Elliot's ears by the relatively high, lovely yet haunting, voice of a girl.

_Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall …_

_(And what a large wall it was!)_ laughed the singing voice.

_Humpty Dumpty had a great fall …_

Vincent was talking to him now, his voice coming from a great distance, waving – going up and then down like a single, low instrument in a one-man orchestra, but that was just his hearing malfunctioning at his death, Elliot knew. With some effort and a bit of pain, he could make out what his adoptive brother was saying – that he felt sorry for him, because he hadn't been like his brothers, and because of him, Vincent's brother Gil hadn't forgotten to smile while they were with the Nightrays.

_And all the King's horses and all the King's men …_

_Couldn't put Humpty back together again._

The tune continued, followed quickly but another quiet burst of laughter from the voice of the eerie singer. Then, to Elliot's faint annoyance – faint because he felt he could hardly hear anything anymore – it began again.

_Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall …_

_(And what a large wall it was!)_

He forced himself to ignore the song and focus on Vince – who didn't seem to be hearing the song – but found it difficult to concentrate on anything but the dulling pain in his body that surged up again when he breathed, or the fact that the stones were beginning to feel warmer thanks to his blood, and that lying in a pool of warm blood was more comfortable than it sounded after ignoring just what he was lying in, and dying a bit – he was close, he realized, to finally dying, and with that realization he felt another flash of annoyance: why wasn't he dead yet? It was as if whatever spirit that escorted the dead to the afterlife was dragging his death out.

_Humpty Dumpty had a great fall …_

_And all the King's horses and all the King's men …_

Elliot remembered Leo, and forced himself to talk, even though the effort immediately sent more agony hacking up his torso. He _must've_ twitched, because Vincent paused, and then leaned down very close to hear him – to hear his last words.

_Tell Leo … tell him … I am sorry …._

Vincent gave a small, sad, rueful smile. "I will tell him."

He wasn't sure if he could entirely trust Vincent, but it would have to do.

… _Couldn't put Humpty back together again!_

Everything disappeared, and he almost sighed in relief as the sharp pain melted away like snow, along with his vision, the song, and the voice that was singing it.

His last thought as a living being made him feel another flash of irritation: _I self-sacrificed myself for others like that Holy Knight idiot Edgar! What is Oz going to say?_

Then everything was gone, and he was floating in a dark, dark place where the sky was black and the even darker ground was as smooth and long as a flat sea.

He found himself looking at a girl, and he blinked in surprised, blinded; the girl smiling at him had long hair, thick and heavy, and it was of the whitest colour he'd ever seen, glaring out at him in this ocean of darkness. Her skin was also pale, and her eyes were gentle lavender. The elaborate dress she was also wearing was as white as she.

"Who are you?" Elliot muttered. "Are you … the angel of death?"

"No!" replied the girl, her eyes widening in surprise at the guess. He gave a start, recognizing her voice as the one that had been singing the song with Humpty Dumpty. "I am the Will of the Abyss."

_The Will of the Abyss_. The five words rang in his head like bells, and made him jerk back away from her like she was something diseased.

The Will looked hurt. "Don't be like that." As quickly as her offended expression had arrived, it disappeared, and was soon replaced by a bright, white smile that matched her hair perfectly. "I'm not an angel of death but here to show you the way to your family, because after all, you _were_ a contractor of one of my chains, even if you were a _very_ mean person to it." She frowned slightly, but soon that too was gone with the nonexistent wind.

"My … family?"

"Yes!" exclaimed the girl happily, clasping her hands together. "Your brothers … your uncle … maybe even your mother, although I doubt she'll make it _there_! And all you have to do … is fall forward!" Backing up slightly, she spread her arms and smiled.

"Fall forward?"

Elliot looked down, and found himself staring at something round and golden and dazzlingly bright, so much that he could hardly bear to look at it, although it was beautiful. He didn't understand how he didn't notice it before.

"Fall forward," echoed the Will.

"And then I'll be … dead?"

"Yes!" she said, but then she frowned a little. "When you're there, _you'll_ be the one seeing my dear Cheshire again." She tilted her head to one side. "If you see him, will you tell him I miss him, and that I want him to come back again?"

"Um. About dying … do I have a choice?" He thought of Vincent, and how he trusted him, but how much could he trust him to give the message to Leo?

The Will's violet eyes lit up then strangely, like the candles at a birthday cake. "You could die … or you could stay here in the Abyss with me, and I'll retrieve and turn your body and essence into a chain! Wouldn't that be _wonderful_? I'd even forgive for killing darling Humpty Dumpty, and you would last _so_ much longer, _and_ you could be my Lone Knight!"

Elliot was still confused about a lot of things, but they were mostly associated with the world that wasn't the Abyss, and he didn't think he really wanted to become a chain, or anyone's knight, especially _this girl's_.

"No," he said firmly, almost angrily. "What's wrong with you? You act so cavalier … you can't just go about taking what you please. _You_ created Humpty Dumpty? What kind of person would create such a monster? I would rather die than have anything to do with you, Scourge of the Abyss."

The Will, who had rapidly lost her good mood, had grown very white – well, whit_er_ – and her lips were pressed together tightly, forming a single line. She looked angry, and although Elliot wasn't afraid of her, he also had a feeling that it would be better to fall forward into the pulsing golden light soon rather than face her for much longer.

"Fine," she said finally, after a long moment. "Fall forward as you will, and _die_. But this I promise you, sometime in the afterlife you will _regret_, I swear it, that you ever chose _that_ Abyss over me."

She vanished, and it was as if she'd never been there.

"Goodbye Leo," he whispered.

Elliot pitched forward, and the warm golden light enveloped him like a dream, and the laughing voices of his late family floated over to him from afar, making him forget the Will's promise, and severing his ties to the world above as he smiled, and passed on.

**A bit too abrupt for my liking, but I think I did okay.**

**Like I said, I own nothing – but the extra line in the Humpty Dumpty poem, just because I think that's the kind of thing Alice the Will of the Abyss would say while singing it. Hope it didn't feel like a songfic.**

**Review, I would love to know what you think about this, and about the parts I did well and the parts where I could improve upon my writing!**


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